First Impressions
Whittaker's Clearly Sloe takes their Original Gin, steeps sloes for six months and liquorice for 24 hours, then redistils — creating a clear, dry sloe gin. Liquorice is used as sweetener instead of sugar (50 times sweeter on the tongue), making this perhaps the cleanest-tasting sloe gin available.
Tasting
The nose shows rich tart sloe berry with jammy notes and aromatic nuttiness. On the palate, sloe berry with deep resinous juniper, fruit sweetness and marzipan, piney and dry. The finish is long with fruit fading to cinnamon bark spiciness.
The Bottom Line
Whittaker's Clearly Sloe earns an 8 for reinventing sloe gin. The clear appearance, dry character and liquorice sweetening create something genuinely new in a centuries-old category. If you think all sloe gins are sweet and purple, this will change your mind.